1985 Rome and Vienna airport attacks

The 1985 Rome and Vienna airport attacks occurred on 27 December 1985, when seven Arab terrorists from the Abu Nidal Organization attacked the Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy and the Vienna International Airport in Vienna, Austria in two coordinated terrorist attacks, killing 19 people and injuring 138. Abu Nidal's commando, which was supplied with weapons by the Libyan government; Italy blamed Syria and Iran for organizing the attack. At 8:15 AM, four ANO gunmen began to fire assault rifles and throw hand grenades at passengers near the ticket counter of the Rome airport, killing 16 and wounding 99. Three of the terrorists were killed, while Mohammed Sharam was wounded and captured by Italian police. Minutes later, three more terrorists attacked passengers at the check-in counter of the Vienna International Airport, killing 3 and wounding 39. The terrorists fled the airport by car, with one of them being killed by police and the other two being captured. The Libyan government claimed that the attacks were "heroic operations carried out by the sons of martyrs of Sabra and Shatila", while the ANO claimed that the operation was in retaliation for the Israeli Air Force's bombing of the PLO headquarters in Tunis on 1 October.